# Your most shameful culinary practices **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [March 23, 2021, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-most-shameful-culinary-practices/938498 "2021-03-23T15:42:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-most-shameful-culinary-practices/938498/101 "2021-03-24T13:33:24Z")
Wow. I should’ve titled this thread “Follow Me for More Abominations”! Some of these recipes are truly horrifying. But a lot of the responses have made me feel like I’m not alone. Am I the only one finding this thread actually kind of therapeutic? Like a support group for people who put ketchup on hot dogs or butter on peanut butter? I’ll put slices of cold butter on a Danish like it’s cheese on toast. I brown all meat with lard, and I won’t make biscuits without it. _I have actually made hot dog ramen soup._ Well done steak, however–that support group is down the hall, next to People Who Don’t Return Their Shopping Carts and Butt Sniffers Anonymous. ---
**Author:** ![Dinoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de0a6/32.png) [@Dinoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinoguy)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-most-shameful-culinary-practices/938498/102 "2021-03-24T13:53:17Z")
My wife is an excellent cook, but since her stroke I’ve been chief cook. Usually if i put something like a roast in a crock pot I’m good but i do use short cuts like pigs in a blanket - vienna’s rolled in canned biscuits. Also baked beans - canned pork and beans, sprinkle fake sugar, a little syrup and onion flakes and bake. I tried making pie crust one time and I swear I could have sold the result to the army for armor plating. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-most-shameful-culinary-practices/938498/103 "2021-03-24T13:54:02Z")
Good red wine vinegar salad dressing - very sparingly dribbled on -is excellent on a good-quality roll. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-most-shameful-culinary-practices/938498/104 "2021-03-24T13:55:27Z")
I love a good steak, and I have no problem eating them anywhere on the spectrum from rare to well done. But my father only liked it well done, so that’s how I grew up eating it. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-most-shameful-culinary-practices/938498/105 "2021-03-24T14:11:58Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > > [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > > > Fish sauce however, is NOT. > > I beg to differ. I lick a splash of it off my hand whenever I’m using it. It’s like ultra-concentrated anchovies. Granted, I wouldn’t drink a _glass_ of it… To anyone who enjoys fish sauce, DO NOT watch the episode of “How It’s Made” that covers the making of fish sauce. Thai red curries are my wife’s favorite thing to eat, and she vowed to never eat anything with fish sauce in it ever again after watching that episode (granted, it didn’t last-- we just got Thai takeout last Sunday). They say seeing sausage being made is bad, but that’s nothing compared to seeing how fish sauce is made. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-most-shameful-culinary-practices/938498/106 "2021-03-24T14:24:11Z")
> [@solost](#): > > To anyone who enjoys fish sauce, DO NOT watch the episode of “How It’s Made” that covers the making of fish sauce. Ok, I watched that video. Ewww! Good thing I’m on a low-salt diet, and can’t eat that shit. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-most-shameful-culinary-practices/938498/107 "2021-03-24T14:24:43Z")
I must be missing something. This video? It seems exactly like what I thought the process of fish sauce making was like: salt & fish & time. It’s not like there’s workers bathing in it. Or am I watching the wrong video? [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gul4c7jAagU) ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-most-shameful-culinary-practices/938498/108 "2021-03-24T14:29:16Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I also buy the cheap packages of ramen noodles as a fallback parrot treat for when Rocco wants a treat NOW. Had a PM askibng for details, so I’ll also put them here. Open cellophane package of noodles and discard the seasoning packet. Break of a one cubic inch piece of noodles, put remaining noodles in a ziplock back for later use. Drop the 1x1x1 cube of noodles into a coffee cup and add 1/4 cup boiling water. Wait a few minutes, drain, serve to the bird. ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Sponge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dark_sponge/32/121_2.png) [@Dark\_Sponge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Sponge)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-most-shameful-culinary-practices/938498/109 "2021-03-24T14:31:16Z")
My father raised Angus cattle and so I’ve eaten my fair share of really high-end beef cuts. But I still like ketchup on steak. Also, I love good cheese but I occasionally slum it up with Velveeta. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-most-shameful-culinary-practices/938498/110 "2021-03-24T14:31:48Z")
Yeah, mine get that from time to time - I call them “worms” because, while they aren’t, they sort of look like them. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-most-shameful-culinary-practices/938498/111 "2021-03-24T14:32:00Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Ok, I watched that video. Ewww! Good thing I’m on a low-salt diet, and can’t eat that shit. > [@pulykamell](#): > > I must be missing something. This video? It seems exactly like what I thought the process of fish sauce making was like: salt & fish & time. It’s not like there’s workers bathing in it. Or am I watching the wrong video? Yep, that’s the video. Sure, we all have different notions of what we find gross or disgusting, and I wasn’t as bothered by it as my wife was. But harvesting the resulting liquid from huge piles of anchovies and salt fermenting for months in giant open vats only covered by corrugated metal sheets, reaching up to 104 degrees at times, I think most would agree is not the most appetizing process to observe. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-most-shameful-culinary-practices/938498/112 "2021-03-24T14:34:37Z")
I’m a foodie and we cook some very nice meals, but every once in a while, I like to eat hot dogs with spray on cheese with a side of BBQ beans and go to town. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-most-shameful-culinary-practices/938498/113 "2021-03-24T14:41:27Z")
Maybe because I have stuff that I’ve fermented, pickled, and preserved for years, it doesn’t bug me at all. I honestly thought there was something unusual that was going to happen in the video. Obviously, I’m the odd person out, as the reply right after yours expressed disgust. (And fish sauce tastes perfectly fine to me out of the bottle. To me, it doesn’t change flavor that much when heated in a dish–it just gets diluted, and becomes more a slightly fishy umami.) Now casu marzu – that’s kinda gross. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-most-shameful-culinary-practices/938498/114 "2021-03-24T14:48:23Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Worcestershire sauce is tasty right out of the bottle. Fish sauce however, is NOT. You are aware of what goes into Worcestershire sauce? If not, maybe you should be. It’s anchovies. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-most-shameful-culinary-practices/938498/115 "2021-03-24T14:49:23Z")
Well, your experience with something certainly makes a difference. I have no problem butchering a deer or cleaning a fish, but a lot of non-vegetarians are grossed out by any meat that doesn’t come shrink-wrapped out of a grocery store cooler. And fermenting fish is different than fermenting say, cabbage. I think we are much more conditioned to think of animal products + warm temps + time = rot. I agree with you on casu marzu! > [@Terminus\_Est](#): > > > [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > > > Worcestershire sauce is tasty right out of the bottle. Fish sauce however, is NOT. > > You are aware of what goes into Worcestershire sauce? If not, maybe you should be. It’s anchovies. anchovies are just one of many ingredients in Worcestershire. Fish sauce, ain’t nuthin’ but fish and salt. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-most-shameful-culinary-practices/938498/116 "2021-03-24T15:00:51Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I don’t think margarine is a terrible product these days. As chef Jean-Pierre says, “margarine is only one molecule away from vinyl.” ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-most-shameful-culinary-practices/938498/117 "2021-03-24T15:08:13Z")
I put butter on my peanut butter sandwiches. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-most-shameful-culinary-practices/938498/118 "2021-03-24T15:17:35Z")
> [@solost](#): > > > [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > > > > [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > > > > > Fish sauce however, is NOT. > > > > I beg to differ. I lick a splash of it off my hand whenever I’m using it. It’s like ultra-concentrated anchovies. Granted, I wouldn’t drink a _glass_ of it… > > To anyone who enjoys fish sauce, DO NOT watch the episode of “How It’s Made” that covers the making of fish sauce. Thai red curries are my wife’s favorite thing to eat, and she vowed to never eat anything with fish sauce in it ever again after watching that episode (granted, it didn’t last-- we just got Thai takeout last Sunday). They say seeing sausage being made is bad, but that’s nothing compared to seeing how fish sauce is made. Similarly, I cannot eat tilapia anymore after watching one particular episode of “Dirty Jobs”. The episode took place at a fish farm. I forget what kind of fish they were raising, but to clean out the tanks they would take all the fish out and then dump in a bunch of tilapia, which would feast on the other fishes’ poo. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-most-shameful-culinary-practices/938498/119 "2021-03-24T15:32:57Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > As chef Jean-Pierre says, “margarine is only one molecule away from vinyl.” As chef Mangetout says: “That statement is nonsense bullshit” ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-most-shameful-culinary-practices/938498/120 "2021-03-24T15:40:55Z")
If there’s a pan of brownies laying around that haven’t been cut up yet, I’ll shave 3/4" inch off the short edge and no one’s the wiser (until I repeat the process 4 or 5 times). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-most-shameful-culinary-practices/938498.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-most-shameful-culinary-practices/938498.md?page=7)